From here on in for Friars, close just isn’t going to cut it

INDIANAPOLIS — It is the scenario, the hoops predicament, no one wants to face. With four games left in the regular season, the Providence Friars still have legitimate NCAA Tournament dreams.

Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer kevinmcnamara33

INDIANAPOLIS — It is the scenario, the hoops predicament, no one wants to face.

With four games left in the regular season, the Providence Friars still have legitimate NCAA Tournament dreams. The Friars remain firmly in the mix for one of the 68 bids that will be handed out March 16, but the team’s room for error has just about evaporated.

Beginning Sunday night at the historic, 86-year-old Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Friars find themselves in a do-or-pray quandary when they face the Butler Bulldogs. PC needs to present the NCAA selection committee with some saleable virtues and one clearly must be a winning record in the Big East. With a 17-10 record, 7-7 in the Big East, the Friars cannot afford to lose to Butler (12-14, 2-12).

Next Friday presents a similar scenario when PC travels to Seton Hall. Like Butler, the Pirates (14-12, 5-8) have a losing Big East record but are quite dangerous on their home court. PC then returns to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for its home finale March 4 against Marquette before wrapping up the schedule at Creighton. Conventional wisdom says the Friars would be wise to win three of those four games to not only cement a winning conference record but increase an important road victory total and enter the Big East Tournament with some momentum.

Coach Ed Cooley doesn’t dispute any of the above. Unlike many coaches around the country, Cooley has openly discussed his team’s NCAA chances inside and out of his locker room. That is the group’s goal, clearly. And after a heart-breaking, double overtime loss to Villanova last Tuesday, the Friar coach knows what his team is up against.

“Every game is an NCAA Tournament game for us,” Cooley said. “I’m the coach who talks about the elephant in the room.”

Cooley said his team is still smarting after the 82-79 loss to the No. 9 Wildcats, and with good reason. Everyone around the program knew how monumental the game was, most importantly because a win would have substantially boosted the chances of earning an NCAA bid for the first time since 2004. The crestfallen players may have realized the importance of the contest more than anyone.

“They were torn up in the locker room. It was the first time since I’ve been here where I saw tears,” Cooley said. “They all know where we stand, so I just felt a lot of pride in our team and total disappointment for our kids. I was down for our fans and our city and our state but that didn’t last long. We’re back, we’ll be ready at Butler.”

The Bulldogs are stumbling through a very strange initial Big East season. They are the ultimate play tough-and-lose outfit. They opened conference play by losing to Villanova in overtime and later lost to both DePaul and Georgetown at home in extra periods.

The Bulldogs have lost five straight games, however, and appear beaten down a bit. Two players have left the team to transfer and leading rebounder Kameron Woods missed a 77-52 loss at St. John’s last Tuesday due to a suspension. It is unclear if he’ll be reinstated for Sunday’s game.

In Butler’s last home game at Hinkle, the Bulldogs suffered through a typical effort. They had first-place Creighton on the ropes, leading by one point with 1:51 on the clock. But when Doug McDermott hit a clutch 3-pointer and no one answered, Creighton scored the game’s final seven points to win, 68-63.

“They had Creighton and, really, play everyone very tough at home,” said Cooley, whose team beat Butler in Providence, 65-56. “They play you tough and have kids like (Andrew) Chrabascz and (Kellen) Dunham who are very good young players.”

If the game isn’t decided until the last minute, no one should be surprised. The two teams have combined to play in 11 overtime games and 15 overtime periods this season. The Bulldogs lead the Big East with six overtime games (2-4 record), while Providence became the first team in Big East history to play in three double overtime games with the Villanova loss. PC has played five overtime games and seven additional contests decided by six points or less.

On Twitter: @KevinMcNamara33

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.